How many emails are you subscribed to right now? Too many to remember? Your subscribers feel the same way.
If you want your newsletter to stand out, you’ll need to learn how to design a newsletter that gets opens and engagement.
Whether your list size is ten or 10,000, a polished newsletter will give you an edge over your competitors and excite your subscribers when they see your name pop into their inbox.
What is newsletter design?
Newsletter design is everything you see in an email and that screen readers scan. Newsletter design includes images and visuals, color scheme, layout, font choice, and button shapes.
The purpose of newsletter design is to:
Create an email that everyone can enjoy, regardless of their abilities, settings, and devices
Establish a recognizable visual brand
Support the content and goal of the email
Encourage subscriber engagement
10 ready-to-go newsletter design templates to kickstart your creator project
Everyone appreciates eye-catching email design, but creating a newsletter design from scratch is a niche skill set. Luckily, there are templates that allow anyone to send beautiful newsletters.
Your welcome email is subscribers’ first impression of your newsletter in the inbox—so you need to make it count. A great welcome newsletter template introduces your brand, thanks subscribers for joining, and links to some of your top content.
Kit’s ‘Intro’ template is perfect for any creator—from bloggers, coaches, and authors to podcasters, consultants, and artists. Add your logo or picture to the top, share your thanks to subscribers, and provide links to popular posts and social channels for engagement.
The Intro template is an easy way to start designing emails.
2. Blog newsletter template
Each piece of content you publish takes time to create, and a blog newsletter template gives you a space to show it off. Bloggers can use Kit’s ‘Dispatch’ template to share their recent posts in case anyone missed them.
A newsletter template with a list of items, like the one below, is also perfect for coaches promoting different offers, food bloggers sharing recipes, and YouTubers promoting this month’s uploads.
The best newsletter designs balance style and readability.
3. Email course newsletter template
Consider an email course if you enjoy writing emails for your audience and want to add an income stream. An email course delivers content over a series of messages instead of through an online course platform.
The ‘Grove’ template has a small header that indicates which lesson the email contains, which helps subscribers orient themselves in the course. Simple text with scannable headings keeps the focus on the task, and you can even add a link to a digital tip jar in case your email course is free.
Maintain a high contrast between font colors and backgrounds for readability.
4. Event newsletter template
Dear musicians, you have enough to do to prepare for tour—use this event newsletter template with a Bandsintown integration to save time promoting your dates.
The ‘Bridge’ template automatically pulls event dates and details so your audience can find the closest event and buy tickets.
The Bridge template has a Bandsintown integration that automatically pulls in event dates, locations, and ticket links.
5. Newsletter template for recipes
Chefs and food blogger newsletters need spots for recipes, affiliate items, courses, and more. Kit’s ‘Hawthorne’ newsletter design allows you to show off a variety of visuals and CTAs without overwhelming the readers.
The newsletter design uses ample space between content blocks to make the email easy to scan while the boldly-colored buttons stand out.
Breaking newsletter content up into separate blocks lets subscribers easily scan different sections.
6. Minimal, simple, and clean newsletter design templates
Sometimes a simple design is the hardest to get just right. If you send text-based emails to subscribers but want the design to feel elevated, try the ‘Coach’ email design template.
This newsletter design template handles text spacing with a few design flairs like logos and content boxes. The result is a clean look that stands out from standard text emails.
Product images either catch ecommerce customer attention or make your message feel like spam, and it often comes down to the email design.
The ‘Finch’ template gives you space to show off your items and add some text in a professional and clean design. Because Kit templates and commerce sales pages are so easy to customize, you can quickly create designs that match your brand aesthetic.
The Finch template has a CTA at the top of the message so it isn’t lost beneath product shots.
8. Newsletter design templates including a menu
Attention all multi-talented creators—have you tried a newsletter menu?
Email design templates with a menu, like ‘Weekend,’ provide a space to link to different social channels and website pages. For example, influencers can use a menu to link to their blog, Instagram, Amazon storefront, and YouTube channel.
The menu design in this template works well because it’s easy to see and use without taking too much attention away from the email body.
Use a menu in your newsletter to encourage exploration and engagement with any content instead of a single action, like visiting a sales page.
9. Newsletter templates to send your lead magnet
A lead magnet is a free resource subscribers receive in exchange for signing up for your newsletter. Since it’s usually an incentive for new subscribers, your lead magnet email needs to look great.
The ‘Willow’ template puts the CTA button for the lead magnet right at the top so new subscribers can easily find what they’re looking for. There’s also space to share a little more about the lead magnet, how to use it, and who you are. Any type of creator can use this template to share a link with their audience.
Place the CTA button at the top of an email if subscribers want a quick link to the lead magnet.
10. Templates for colorful newsletter design
Branding helps your audience recognize and connect with your content, but your newsletter will be hard to look at if it’s too bold.
The ‘Monterey’ template allows creators of any kind to include a logo or product image, share some text, and link to the resource with a bold CTA button. The text in the email is easy to read thanks to the white background while still providing space to include brand-specific colors in the message.
Use bold colors as accents, not as a background behind text.
Tips to customize the 3 main newsletter design elements
Beautiful and readable email design is a newsletter best practice that feels daunting to creators without a design background. You don’t need a degree in graphics to start designing a newsletter, though. Let’s explore a few basics to get started.
Best practices for newsletter header design
Let’s start from the top with your newsletter header. The header is the first thing your readers see as they scan down the message, so it sets the tone for the rest of the template.
1. Feature your logo or name (or potentially both)
Even though your subscribers see who the email is from before they open it, it’s still nice to include your logo, name, or both in the header. Adding a visual to your newsletter header reiterates your brand identity.
2. Add a menu, if it adds value to your newsletter
If you want to add a menu to your email newsletter, put it just below your header image. Menus link various products or channels, but you should only use them in your general newsletter. For example, putting a menu on a product promotion email would take away from the primary goal of the message by distracting readers.
Best practices for newsletter body design
3. Make the readability of your text a priority
On average, people only spend nine seconds reading an email. Since you only have (literally) a few seconds to catch their attention and convey your message, your email design template and writing needs to be readable.
Decide on the best-suited font
Your font choice is highly important for your email newsletter design.
A legible font will prevent your readers from clicking off your newsletter and keep them reading for longer.
Let’s look at two examples to illustrate the impact a clear font has on readability.
Above are two different fonts. One is challenging to read while the other is easy on the eyes.
Stick to web-safe fonts for your email newsletters. Web-safe fonts are ones most devices have pre-installed, so you can be confident your audience can view your newsletter precisely how you designed it.
Standard web-safe fonts you might already know of are:
Arial
Verdana
Times New Roman
Leverage the power of headers (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
Like blogging, using headers can be highly beneficial when designing your newsletter.
If you tend to write long emails with different topics or ideas, headers will help you group your thoughts into suitable sections.
Your headers should always follow the order from H1 to H6.
Ann Handley often sends out long email newsletters, and her headers allow readers to quickly find sections they want to read.
Grab readers’ attention with bold and italicized text
Although your email newsletter design should be simple, you can still stylize your content through bold and italicized text.
When you have an important call-to-action or key takeaway, the best way to make sure it stands out is to contrast it against the rest of your content.
Bold and italicized text jumps off the page and is a simple way to grab your readers’ attention (especially those who skim your content).
Use short paragraphs for easy reading
Never underestimate the power of white space.
Take this article you are reading right now, for example.
If you scan through, you’ll notice I’ve used lots of white space by writing shorter paragraphs and adding space between my thoughts.
White space makes content much easier to read and digest.
And when content is easier to read, more of it is actually read.
Take a look at this newsletter excerpt from Carly with Mommy on Purpose:
Short paragraphs, like the ones Carly uses, are effective to increase your newsletter’s readability.
4. Don’t overcrowd your newsletter with media
The golden rule with media in your email newsletters is to use it sparingly and never put critical information in your media. If you’re unsure how to balance visuals with text, check out newsletter email examples to see how other creators handle it.
Do unseen images lessen your newsletter experience?
Images can undoubtedly add flair to your newsletter design, but remember that all your readers may not see your pictures.
Your images should never replace text. Some email providers automatically block all images, and screen readers can’t ‘see’ the text in the picture. In both scenarios, subscribers won’t get the full experience if you place vital info in images.
Images may be automatically blocked for some members on your list, like this one from Moz.
Use GIFs, but don’t overdo it
GIFs are quite possibly the universal language of social media.
These eye-catching tidbits can add context to your content, grab readers’ attention and add emotion without additional words.
Luckily for us, GIFs are supported by most email providers. Just make sure you use them sparingly.
You can find free GIFs online in this GIF library.
Be aware that some email providers don’t support videos
At Kit, we’re big with email deliverability and want to be sure your emails are landing in your subscribers’ inboxes. We asked Alyssa Dulin, Kit’s Head of Deliverability, whether email providers support videos.
Many email providers don’t support video in email, but it won’t impact deliverability; it just means the video won’t load. So I still recommend adding a link to a video screenshot in the email. But Kit’s video embed tool is great because it will embed a video if videos are supported by the receiver, and it’ll link to a video if video embeds aren’t supported by the receiver.
– Alyssa Dulin
5. Put the focus on your call-to-action (CTA)
You should give special care to your CTA.
After all, it’s the driving force behind your sales, website traffic, and promotion of your products/services within your newsletters.
To get your readers to engage with your CTA, you should place it within your content near the top of your email and the bottom.
If you only place a CTA near the bottom, you might lose your readers who don’t read your email in its entirety.
Holly, the creator of A Branch of Holly, has added her CTA multiple times in her email newsletter so readers can easily sign up for her masterclass.
The CTAs in Holly’s newsletter are easy to spot, even for those who may skim through.
Best practices for newsletter footer design
As the name suggests, your email footer is at the bottom of your design template. Don’t dismiss the footer, though, because you can put valuable links and essential info down there.
6. Wrap up with an individualized signature
Adding branded imagery to your newsletter footer is a valuable strategy to stay on-brand while simultaneously reminding your reader who you are. A custom email signature is a great way to wrap up your message with a personal touch.
Dana Nicole has a photo, social links, and unsubscribe link in her footer.
7. Comply with the rules and regulations
Depending on your location, you may be legally required to include information in your email footer. For example, the United States CAN-SPAM Act stipulates that your footer has details like your location and a way to opt out of emails. Research rules and regulations that might apply to you.
Keep the unsubscribe link visible
Seeing subscribers leave your list is sad, but you should always make it easy to leave. Ensure your unsubscribe link is visible and goes into effect immediately ( single-click unsubscribe).
Disclose your whereabouts to the recipients
Creators in the U.S. have to share their location with subscribers, but you don’t have to give away personal information. Kit users can opt to use our location instead of your personal address.
8. Include links or buttons to your social media profiles
Finally, your footer can have links to your social media profiles. Including your links in every email is a low-effort way to drive traffic to your different profiles.
Now that you know a few email design basics, let’s explore some more tips to help you create the best newsletter design for your subscribers.
Make your design inclusive and universally accessible
Beautiful emails are ineffective if members of your email list cannot access your content. 2.2 billion people worldwide have a visual impairment. To create accessible emails, add alt text or image descriptions when possible, and avoid putting important information into pictures.
If you must put information into a graphic, pair it with a caption or description so the information isn’t lost if your reader can’t view the image.
Use left-aligned text for copy that’s longer than a few lines
Ensure your CTA buttons are large enough to tap on mobile and click on desktop without precision
On-brand design to boost recognition
We’ve mentioned ‘on-brand’ design a few times—here’s how to achieve it.
Stick with the same color palette
First, your emails should use the same color palette you use for the rest of your branding.
Consistency is key, and while it might be tempting to jazz up your emails with splashes of color, it’s best to stay tried-and-true to your brand’s colors.
But we shouldn’t stop there.
Colors are a great way to remain consistent. Still, many times, a particular color isn’t a significant memory refresher of who you are.
Incorporate branded visual
Use a consistent logo, headshot, pattern, or image across emails. Consistently using images makes them recognizable to subscribers and makes your content feel distinct.
What about using a background image?
Adding a background image or color that takes up the entire email works if it’s very faint. Otherwise, the bold image or color makes the text hard to read. Putting text on a white background with your branded colors as a border is a good balance of style and function.
Tailoring newsletter design for mobile optimization
Your emails need to look and work great no matter where subscribers open them. Here are some mobile optimization tips for your newsletter design.
Is your subject line cut off?
Email newsletter design isn’t just limited to the content within your newsletter.
Your newsletter subject line is arguably the most important part of your newsletter! Forty-seven percent of people open newsletters based on the subject line.
A good subject line will entice recipients to open the email so they get all the goodness you’ve packed inside your newsletter.
To optimize your subject lines for mobile devices:
Keep your subject line to around 40 characters or less
Front-load your subject line (in other words, place critical information near the front so key info doesn’t get cut off by a character limit)
Keep it short and sweet
Tools like CoSchedule’s Email Subject Line Tester will help improve your subject lines so you can be confident they will generate more opens and look great on mobile.
At Kit, we also have a handy A/B subject line tester to test which subject lines generate the most opens.
To see all three points in action, let’s take a look at Jessica Gavin’s email newsletter. The subject line is concise, eye-catching, and descriptive. As for the body of her email, the header photo is clear, the font is clean, and the CTA stands out.
Since mobile screens are smaller than a desktop, use web-safe fonts with simple, clean lines that are easy to see on a smaller scale.
Do the images resize well on mobile devices?
The product photo you chose might look flawless on a desktop, but how does it look shrunk down on a mobile device? Detailed photos and complicated images, like infographics, are hard to read on a mobile device.
Emerging trends in email newsletter design to look forward to
If you’re ready to move past basic newsletter design ideas or love to be on the cutting edge, consider using some of these email design trends.
Unique product displays
Sure, flat lays are cool. But what if you could make your products float in your newsletter? Or how about showing items in use with GIFS? One email design trend this year is getting creative with product shots. A24 uses a GIF to show a flip-through of a book, while Lupii uses product shots with a transparent background to ‘float’ in the message.
Experiment with transparent backgrounds on product images to make them float above designs. Image via Lupii.
Rounded corners
Another design trend this year is rounded corners and other interesting shapes. For example, AllTrails round their images’ corners, making the design feel softer and more natural. Even design beginners can jump on this trend since Kit’s built-in image editor has a sliding scale to soften the corners of images.
Button drop shadows
Another simple way to elevate your newsletter design this year is through colorful and patterned button drop shadows. Adding an offset shape behind your CTA button gives it a subtle 3D effect while drawing more attention. Drop shadows also add more dimension to images in otherwise minimalist text emails, like the example from TripAdvisor.
Image drop shadows provide another spot to add on-brand colors. Image via TripAdvisor.
How to design your own newsletter template with Kit
Design tools like Canva, Photoshop, and Figma help you mock up email designs. Still, you need some email development skills to turn those designs into templates. If you’re new to email design, try Kit instead.
Kit’s email designer is easy to use and customize, whether you use our templates and images or add your own HTML code. Here’s how to use it:
From your dashboard, click ‘Create new’ in the top right and select ‘Template’
Choose from one of Kit’s ‘starting points’ email templates and save customized designs and default content for your future emails. Or take a look at the email templates marketplace for more advanced designs.
Click on the element you want to customize, like the header image, and use the sidebar to make it your own
Save your template
Choose the template when you create a broadcast
And that’s it!
Build a loyal community with newsletters
With a free Kit account you can share what you love on a consistent basis with your newsletter to connect with your followers and grow your business.
Steph Knapp is a freelance B2B + SaaS content marketer that loves educating and empowering curious humans. When she's not typing away, you'll find her volunteering at the animal shelter and obsessing over a new hobby every week. She shares marketing, freelance, and cat content on Twitter @ hellostephknapp. (Read more by Steph)
